Cable railway



(No Model.)

P. M. BRUNBR.

CABLE RAILWAY.

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V drawings, forming UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

r nnsron M. BRUNER, or sr. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CABLE RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 345,616, dated July 13,1886.

Application filcd February 7, 1855. Serial No. ]55,l65. (No model.)

.To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PRESTON M. BRUNER, of the city of St. Louis, in theState of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inCable Railways, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying part of thisspecification, and in which- Figure 1 is part in top view and part inhorizontal section taken on line 1 1, Fig. 3, illustrating myimprovement. Fig. 2 is part In side view and part in vertical section.Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical transverse sections taken on lines 3 3 and 44, Fig. 2.

My invention relates to an improved manner of constructing cable tubesand tracks for railway purpbses; and my invention consists in featuresof novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the rails, and B the sleepers orties, which are of common construction.

The tube consists of concrete 0, longitudinal rods D, and transverseflanged plates 1. The inner flanges of the plates are preferably widerthan the outer flanges,-as shown, and between the flanges the plates areperforated, at J for the passage of the rods D. The body of the tubethus consists of concrete, which is strengthened and supported by theplates and rods; or, in-other words, the plates and rods form a skeletonin which the concrete is cast, which becomes in the whole a solid mass,capable of withstanding a great amount of pressure and of supportingitself in case the ground should sink beneath it. The plates arepreferably cast-iron, with wrought-iron bands L,

that extend up and are hooked over the up-- per ends of the plates.These bands act to stren then the tube and prevent thecontraction of itsupper part in cold weather and the consequent closing up of the slot M,which is the source of great annoyance, and for the same purpose thetube between the plates (see Fig. 3) is strengthened by rods N, aroundwhich the concrete is cast. The closing together of the upper part ofthe tube, which is caused by the expansion of the surface of the street,due in winter to the freezing of mud and water that work into andbeneath the sur face, tends to close the slot, and these bands L androds N act to prevent its closing, for the force brought to bear uponthem will be in the direction of their lengths. ion, however, that it isimpossible to make a tube of sufficient strength to entirely obviatethis difficulty, and therefore I connect the sleepers or ties B of thetrack to the tube by It is my opin-. 5 5

means of arms. 0, hinged to the tube at P.

They are preferably connected to the plates, which have ears T, theinner ends of the arms fitting between the ears and held by pintles orpins U. The upper ends of the arms have flanged plates V,fitting thebottom of the sleep- 6 5,

ers. Thus. as the tracks are forced inward by the expansion of thestreet, as above mentioned, they are caused to move on the arcs ofcircles by these arms, of which the pivot-s U are the centers, and theirmovement is thus partly 7o converted into a vertical one, decreasing theamount of horizontal movement. To still further obviate this difficulty,-I prefer to locate spring-metal plates \V outside the sleepers,

that will compress before the sleepers or tracks 7 At either their outeror inner 8o ter are supported by the former, should the ground or streetsink away from the outside of the sleepers. On top of the tube are theplates Z, that do not quite meet, forming the slot M.

I prefer to lay the tube in a bed of sand.

The metal of the tube is so surrounded by the concrete as to prevent itsrusting.

Theperforations J are preferably so large that the concrete, while in aplastic form, will with the main body on each side of the plates.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a cable-railway tube, the combination ofthe concrete, transverse plates, and transverse rods located between theplates, sub- I stantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2.- In a cable-railway tube, the combination run through them, formingnecks that unite of the concrete, transverse plates, and bandsurrgunding the plates, substantially as set ort I 3. In a cable-railwaytube, the combination of the concrete, transverse perforatedstrengtheningplates, and longitudinal rods, arranged and operatingsubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a cable'railway tube,the combination of the concrete, transverseplates, bands around the plates, and transverse rods located in theconcrete between the plates, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

5. In a cable railway, the combination of the tube, tracks, and hingedconnecting-arms, arranged and operating substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

6. In a cable railway, the combination of PRESTON M. BRUNEI In presence0f- GEO. I1. KNIGHT, SAML. KNIGHT.

